What It Was Like Filming Star Wars: The Last Jedi Without Harrison Ford, According To John Boyega

With just a few weeks left to go before arriving in theaters, there's still not a whole lot known about what's in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. What fans can be sure of, though, is that it won't have any appearances from Han Solo. The iconic rogue was killed in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, so Harrison Ford wasn't on set this time around. Han served as a mentor figure to new characters like John Boyega's Finn, who said that it felt weird being a part of a Star Wars movie without Ford. Here's how Boyega described his Ford-less experience:

Definitely. I mean, it's a different change when you're coming onto the next movie and Harrison Ford is not there. Han Solo is not there. It's the reality of Han Solo's death in this, it's just mad. But whenever I can see him, it's great times.

Getting cast as a lead in a Star Wars movie is pretty life-changing, but getting to act alongside your one of your childhood heroes? Priceless. John Boyega got to work alongside Harrison Ford in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but Han Solo's death in that movie makes it pretty hard to do any sequels together. Appearing as the guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Boyega said the experience of filming a Star Wars movie without Ford felt different. According to Boyega, it made the reality of his Han Solo's death sink in for him. But, hey, at least he's still got Luke Skywalker in there, right?

While talking with Jimmy Fallon, John Boyega did give a fun anecdote about how he was a big fanboy when he first met Harrison Ford. While everyone else was being very respectful, in Boyega's own words he was more like "can I have a hug please?" He apparently even had Ford autograph some Indiana Jones dolls (um, they're called action figures).

One would imagine that Harrison Ford's absence was felt by a few others on set as well. Mark Hamill, who reprises his iconic Luke Skywalker for a major part, said that he didn't want to sign on for more Star Wars movies until he heard Ford was onboard. While Han Solo will be missed by fans, The Last Jedi still has plenty to offer. The last few trailers have been incredibly well received, and Lucasfilm and Disney have been trumpeting the work of writer-director Rian Johnson on the sequel. We can at least get our Han Solo fix in the Han Solo spin-off movie, even though the production has been troubled.

Fans can prepare to not see Han Solo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is set to hit theaters on December 15, 2017. Make sure to pre-order your tickets while there are still seats available. In the meantime, learn all you can about the sequel with our What We Know So Far guide.

How The Star Wars Prequel Should Use Ben Mendelsohn's Rogue One Character